Help advocate for increased federal immunization funding—join the 317
Coalition

No government funds have been
used to produce this article.

IAC is happy to provide you with the following appeal for new members from
the 317 Coalition. We encourage your agency, organization, or medical
practice to visit the coalition's website at
http://www.317coalition.org If you
want to join the coalition or need additional information, contact Amy
Souders, Cornerstone Government Affairs, at (202) 448-9500 or email at
amy@cgagroup.com

January 18, 2007

Dear Colleague:

As the new 110th Congress convenes in Washington, D.C., we are
writing to invite your organization to join the 317 Coalition,
which advocates for increased funding for childhood, adolescent,
and adult immunization programs. The mission of the 317
Coalition is to focus the advocacy support of allied
organizations with the common goal of increasing the federal
discretionary funding for the National Immunization Program at
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, commonly known
as Section 317 of the Public Health Service Act. We are seeking
to expand our robust partnership with additional national,
state, and local organizations from all 50 states and
territories, including professional associations, healthcare
provider organizations, health departments, and any organization
or medical practice interested in increasing childhood,
adolescent, and adult immunization coverage. There is no cost to
join the coalition.

This coalition is solely focused on advocating for increased
federal immunization grants to states and cities. It focuses on
helping implement the policies of the Advisory Committee on
Immunization Practices and other relevant policy making bodies.
It will in no way make or attempt to influence immunization
policy.

As a member of the Coalition you will

Be sent information regarding the federal budget for the CDC
immunization program and updates on the Congressional
deliberations and recommendations for appropriations,

Be asked to simply sign on to letters of support to Congress
for increased funding along with other organizations across
the country,

Be sent action alerts asking you to contact your congressional
representatives during the appropriate time in the
congressional cycle if you so wish and are able, and

Be invited to participate in periodic conference calls to
share important information about critical needs of federal,
state, and local immunization programs.

As you may know, the federally funded 317 program provides
vaccination services for children and teens who do not qualify
for the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program, as well as adults.
The 317 funds are used to purchase and administer vaccines,
usually at public health departments, and for immunization
delivery services, surveillance, communication, and education.

More than 80 organizations have joined since the coalition's
inception in April 2006, and our efforts have already started to
pay off. The House Appropriations Committee included in the FY
2007 Labor HHS Appropriations bill a $97 million increase over
the prior FY 2006 level for the Section 317 program, for a total
of $615 million. The Appropriation Committee's report also
included a directive to CDC proposed by the 317 Coalition that
requires a report to Congress on how much funding is needed to
cover the cost of new vaccines, state infrastructure, and other
data and information relating to the CDC immunization program.

In 2006, at the coalition's urging, Representatives Steny Hoyer
(MD) and John Shimkus (IL) led [i.e., were the originating
authors of] a bipartisan letter signed by 72 members of the
House of Representatives to the Appropriations Committee seeking
an increase in Section 317 funding. A similar effort in the
Senate, led by Senators Smith (OR), Reed (RI), Durbin (IL), and
former Senator DeWine (OH), attracted the support of 23
senators.

The following organizations have signed on as members of the
coalition:

HepTREC, The Delaware Valley Hepatitis Treatment, Research and
Education Center

Immunization Action Coalition of Washington

Immunization Coalition of Washington, DC

Immunization Partnership of Alameda County, California

Immunization Task Force (Metro Omaha, NE)

Indiana Immunization Coalition

Iowa Immunization Coalition (West DesMoines, IA)

Kenosha Immunization Coalition (WI)

Laredo Health Coalition

Larimer County Immunization Coalition

LiverHope

Mid America Immunization Coalition of Kansas City, MO

Northeast Wisconsin Immunization Coalition

Northern Manhattan Start Right Coalition

Northern Nevada Immunization Coalition

Oklahoma County Immunization Coalition

Oregon Partnership to Immunize Children

Pennsylvania Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics

Project L.O.V.E. (Columbus, OH)

Public Health—Seattle & King County (WA)

San Francisco Immunization Coalition

Sioux Falls Immunization Coalition (SD)

Southwest Utah Immunization Coalition

Spears Foundation

Tennessee Department of Health, State Immunization Program

Texas Children's Hospital Vaccine Center (Houston, TX)

Tri-County Immunization Coalition (Charleston, SC)

Tulsa Area Immunization Coalition

Vietnamese Community Health Promotion Project—UCSF

Washington Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics

West Virginia Immunization Network (Dunbar, WV)

We encourage you to visit the coalition's website at
www.317Coalition.org. If your agency, organization, or medical
practice would like to join the coalition or request additional
information, please contact Amy Souders, Cornerstone Government
Affairs, at (202) 448-9500 or email at amy@cgagroup.com

This website is supported in part by a cooperative agreement from the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (Grant No. 5U38IP000290) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, GA. The website content is the sole responsibility of IAC and does not necessarily represent the official views of CDC.